After just missing on several high-profile transfers this spring, including another Tuesday morning, the Aztecs landed a biggie later in the afternoon: J.J. O’Brien, a mature 6-foot-7 freshman from Utah who people say brings as much to the locker room as he does to the court.

“I really trust Coach (Steve) Fisher and his staff,” O’Brien told the Union-Tribune. “They recruited me hard out of high school and that says something in itself. San Diego State had a great year. I played against them three times. I love the way they play, and I love what they did with Kawhi (Leonard) and guys my size.

“It’s also close to home. It’s the Mountain West Conference. It just seems like the perfect place for me.”

O’Brien was the all-time leading scorer at Alta Loma High in Rancho Cucamonga before spending last season at Utah under Coach Jim Boylen. After missing two months with a broken foot, he started 21 of the final 22 games, averaging 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 27.7 minutes. He decided he “needed to move on” after Boylen was fired, and his decision came down to SDSU, UNLV and Colorado State.

Over the weekend, the Rebels received an oral commitment from USC transfer Bryce Jones, also a talented wing and also a target of the Aztecs. Earlier Tuesday, Louisiana Tech transfer Olu Ashaolu surprised everyone by picking Oregon over Texas, SDSU and Xavier. Ashaolu revealed his decision via Twitter, saying: "Quack, quack, quack."

Usually, transfers within a conference are required to sit out two seasons before becoming eligible, but O’Brien will miss just one because Utah is leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12 next season. He said he plans to enroll at SDSU for the second session of summer school.

O’Brien is a familiar name in San Diego basketball circles. His mother, Cathy O'Brien, and aunt (Susanne) won CIF titles at San Marcos High. Cathy would transfer from Notre Dame to USD in the mid-80s. Most of the family still lives in the country.

"That's where I grew up," said Cathy O'Brien, a middle school teacher in Rancho Cucamonga. "That's where I played basketball. I have family there. Yeah, it's special coming home.

"My mom had everyone in the neighborhood watching him at Utah. Now she'll have them watching as an Aztec."